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www.rotarydownunder.org 5
EDITORIAL
We’ve almost recovered from the Rotary International
Convention in Sydney in early June. It was some show, but
now that we’ve had time to catch our breath, we’ve also
had a chance to look at what was good and not so good
about Rotary’s greatest show on earth.
The things that were good – the Billabong House
of Friendship, the keynote speakers and the general
atmosphere – were really good, but the things that were
not so good appear to be recurring lowlights (to put it in its
most positive light) for most Rotary major events.
My definition of a Rotary major event is anything from a
District Conference or Changeover, right up to the annual
International Assembly and International Convention. It’s
remarkable how many of the things we do at the really big
events like Conventions are reciprocated all the way down
the line through zone, district
and even club functions.
Let’s take the Convention as
an example.
There’s a House of Friendship,
around six or so plenary sessions
over four days, a number of
workshops in the downtime
between plenaries, and a
number of associated pre- and
post-Convention events.
The plenaries usually begin
with a series of rituals that are long and (how can I say
this nicely?), well, boring to the vast majority of those
in attendance.
There were, for instance, 182 flags representing more
than 200 countries, presented one-by-one during the
opening plenary session at the Sydney Convention. At, say,
10 seconds in the limelight for each flag, this took a fair
while to complete.
At various other times during the plenary sessions, we
were introduced individually to the incoming and incumbent
Rotary International directors and their partners, and the
incoming and incumbent trustees of The Rotary Foundation.
That’s 21 directors and 16 trustees, each getting their
moments in the spotlight. We are also introduced to all the
past presidents of Rotary International.
These ceremonies are replicated and that means we
make the same staging mistakes at the annual International
Assembly, and in a fashion at Rotary International Zone
Institutes, and again at District Conferences all over the world.
It’s like we don’t know what else to do. It’s like the
organisers of these events are so totally lacking in imagination
that they can’t come up with a more streamlined device
to appropriately recognise Rotary’s internationality and
the contribution of past presidents, board directors and
Foundation trustees.
It’s like we think these rites are somehow compulsory
content. It’s like these events are specifically designed for the
egos of those past presidents, RI directors and Foundation
trustees, rather than to educate and enlighten those people
in the audience who are the very people whose enthusiasm
for Rotary we need, lest we find ourselves one day at a
District Conference with no Rotarians present.
It was, I would argue, far more important that Rotarians
at the Sydney Convention heard the presentation of Mr
Toilet Jack Sim than run the risk that they’d walk out bored
to tears after sitting through
more than half an hour of flag
presentations, as striking as
bits of such presentations can
sometimes be.
It was far more important
to Rotary that conventioneers
be struck by the importance of
the messages of the keynote
speakers than it was for them
to be introduced to a director
or trustee they’d never heard
of and would never hear from again.
We do exactly the same thing at International Assemblies,
Zone Institute and District Conferences and you can hear
the groans and mutterings as soon as people realise they’re
going to have to sit through these parades for the best part
of another hour of their lives they’ll never get back.
We repeat the offence at club and District Changeovers
when outgoing presidents and governors thank each
outgoing team member individually, before raving on for
an hour about all the wonderful achievements of the year,
then handing over to the incoming president or governor
who in turn introduces his or her incoming team members
individually (more often than not, mostly the same people)
before going on for another half hour or so on the goals
for the year ahead.
These events should be a celebration of the fellowship that
enables so much of Rotary’s good work to be achieved. All
these reports and introductions should be consigned to the
evening’s printed program, leaving enough time for dancing,
catching up with old friends and making new ones. 
A cracker Convention ... if
you survived ceremony coma
Mark Wallace
Just between us
“It was far more important to
Rotary that Rotarians heard
the presentation of Mr Toilet
Jack Sim than run the risk
that they’d walk out bored
to tears after sitting through
more than half an hour of flag
presentations.”